The Mona Lisa Vanishes

This award-winning nonfiction book tells the true story of how Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre in 1911 and became the most famous painting in the world. Alternating between turn-of-the-century Paris and Renaissance Florence, the book follows the international hunt for the thief—with suspects ranging from an American millionaire to a young Pablo Picasso—while also exploring Leonardo da Vinci's eccentric life and the painting's improbable origins. Along the way, young readers encounter themes of celebrity culture, the nature of truth and conspiracy theories, and historical social justice issues, as the book candidly discusses the restrictive gender roles and misogyny of fifteenth-century Florence as well as broader historical issues like colonialism and racism. Engagingly illustrated with black-and-white art by Brett Helquist, it's been praised as a witty, fast-paced blend of art history, mystery, and biography.